The Light of Christ: Iconography of Gregory Kroug

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The Light of Christ

Iconography of Gregory Kroug

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The Light of Christ
Iconography of Gregory Kroug

The icon is a revelation of the living person of Jesus Christ. In the deepest sense, it becomes for the one who prays before it the mysterty of a personal meeting with God. Icons help us enter into communion with Christ and enlighten our darkened souls. They become, in some mysterious way, the window to the "divine and uncontainable God." Through the icon the mystery of the Incarnation is revealed in a direct way. The icon thus becomes a means of hope, a way of refuge, and an experience of joy.

All icons reveal to us the reality of the Kingdom of God which is in Christ. In The Light of Christ we discover a great treasure of twenty-two rare icon masterpieces, each shining with the beauty of the glory of God, reflecting the light of Christ.

These icons, reproduced by a special four-color printing process in 200-line resolution on 100-lb gloss paper, are all the work of the same great iconographer - Fr Gregory Kroug. Fr. Kroug (1909-1969) was born in Russia and lived in France. A reclusive monk who lived in great proverty, he participated in the "Russian religious renaissance," which was, in part, a movement to rediscover the theological significance and artistic beauty of Russian iconography. His work reflects the pure form and content found in the golden age of Russian iconography (14th-16th centuries).

Once in a very great while, perhaps only once in an entire century, there comes a great iconographer like Fr. Kroug -a genius who is a gift of God to this world, given the special task of revealing the face of Christ in a most direct, most wonderful way. The Light of Christ is an attempt to bring these beautiful instruments of revelation to those who seek communion with God and also to save them for posterity.

The accompanying text by Andrew Tregubov is not intended to be a theological treatise, nor even to provide a new explanation of the Church's teaching on icons. It is, rather, an attempt to share the author's own conversion to the icon. The icons themselves speak directly to the hearts of those who look at them in prayer. The miracle of each of these icons lies in its capacity to reveal to us the way towards "Theosis" - deification through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, by which our human nature is glorified and perfected.